With a win over bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton, Liverpool FC could return to the top 4 of the Premier League. However, the Reds will only stay there if they get their set piece problem under control, believes coach Arne Slot.
The chances are good that Liverpool FC will push back into the Premier League’s top 4 before the turn of the year. The Reds, who slipped into the bottom half of the table in the fall, finally have a real must-win game ahead of them on Saturday. Chelsea FC, currently level on points, still has to take on the team of the moment.
While Wolverhampton Wanderers, who play at Anfield Road at 4 p.m., are in a historically poor position with only two points, Blues’ opponents Aston Villa have not lost a game since their defeat to the Reds on November 1—and have won all ten competitive games since then.
Despite the recent clear upturn in form (six games unbeaten, three wins in a row), Arne Slot does not yet believe that his team will remain in the top group for long. The Dutchman is particularly concerned about his team’s weakness in set pieces: his team has only been successful three times from set pieces, while conceding eleven goals from the opposition’s set pieces.
“With our record in set pieces, it’s impossible to finish in the top four or five, let alone win the championship,” the Reds coach is certain ahead of the game against Wolves.
Slot: “It’s very frustrating that we are where we are.”
League leaders Arsenal are already ten points ahead, while Manchester City (eight) and Aston Villa (seven) have also built up a decent cushion. “It’s very frustrating that we are where we are this season,” said Slot, “because halfway through last season we hadn’t conceded a single goal from a set piece.”
The tense personnel situation does not make things any easier for the Reds: Alexander Isak is out with a broken leg, and Cody Gakpo and Conor Bradley are also doubtful. Mohamed Salah is at the Africa Cup of Nations, Joe Gomez is out with muscle problems, and Dominik Szoboszlai (suspended) and Wataru Endo (ankle), who is hardly in demand anyway, are also unavailable.
“It’s time for the players we have available to do what they’ve done so many times before and roll up their sleeves,” Slot demands. “The players who are available have to give everything they’ve got.”
